Formulas for Sleep, Stress, Energy and Focus

Safety first: if a child may have swallowed melatonin, a sleep gummy or any supplement, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 in the US (911 if the child is hard to wake or struggling to breathe). If stress or low mood feels unmanageable or you are thinking about hurting yourself, call, text or chat 988 in the US. [1]

Overview

Sleep, stress, energy and focus products are usually blends: a few familiar ingredients plus herbs and amino acids, sometimes in a "proprietary" mix. A blend cannot borrow the evidence of its parts. Studies test specific ingredients, forms and amounts in specific people, and a mix can behave differently.

Stress

Ashwagandha is the most common headline ingredient. NCCIH says some preparations may be effective for insomnia and stress, but many studies were small and used varied preparations, and evidence on anxiety is unclear. [4] It may be safe for up to 3 months, long-term safety is not established, and rare liver injury has been reported. NCCIH says it should be avoided in pregnancy and is not recommended before surgery or with autoimmune or thyroid disorders. [4] Rhodiola has too little reliable evidence to say whether it is useful for any health purpose. [5] Label: promising but limited (ashwagandha), insufficient evidence (rhodiola). Deeper page: stress and adaptogen blends. Also see calming supplements compared and Wellness: stress supplements and herbs and stress safety and when to get help.

Energy

"Energy" formulas tend to combine B vitamins, caffeine and herbs.

• B vitamins: the NHS (UK) says thiamin and riboflavin help the body release energy from food, and that vitamin B12 or folate deficiency can cause extreme tiredness. [6][7] Benefit from extra amounts in someone who is not deficient is not described in the sources we read. Label: established for deficiency; insufficient otherwise. The NHS also says taking folic acid above 1 mg can mask B12 deficiency, which matters for older people. [6] See B-complex products.
• Caffeine: the US FDA cites 400 mg a day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects for most adults, with wide variation between people. Toxic effects such as seizures can appear with rapid intake of around 1,200 mg. If you are pregnant, trying to become pregnant or breastfeeding, the FDA recommends talking to your health care provider about limiting caffeine. [8] Count every source. See caffeine supplements.

Persistent tiredness has many causes, and a supplement can hide them. See Wellness: why am I so tired and energy supplements and adrenal claims.

Focus and memory

The US National Institute on Aging says no vitamin or supplement has been proven to prevent Alzheimer's in people, and that evidence remains weak because many studies were small or brief. [9] In COSMOS-Mind (2,262 older adults, 3 years), a daily multivitamin-mineral showed a small, statistically significant benefit on global cognition (mean difference 0.07 standard deviations) while cocoa extract did not; the authors said confirmation in a more diverse group is needed. [10] A 2023 review noted that many popular nootropics are unauthorized food or supplement ingredients according to the European Commission. [11] Labels: insufficient evidence for most formulas; marketing claim for "brain booster" wording. See what are nootropics, nootropic safety and claim checks and Wellness: nootropics and memory supplements.

Why blends are hard to judge

The FDA labeling guide says a proprietary blend must show its total weight and list its ingredients in descending order by weight; the label does not need to show each ingredient's own amount, apart from nutrients that have a Daily Value. [12] So you often cannot tell whether an ingredient resembles an amount used in a study. Read how to evaluate a supplement formula.